Random Mavs News & Articles

[mavs777]

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/201...cks/index.html

Despite rocky year, Mavs hold out hope of another surprise title run

OAKLAND, Calif. -- As the Dallas Mavericks discussed their pressure-packed plight on Thursday night, it was tough to separate the reality from the rhetoric.

The defending champions had downed the inferior and decimated Warriors 112-103, inching a half-game ahead of Houston and Denver for the sixth spot in the Western Conference. But the unthinkable remained in play: The Mavericks (33-26), who lead ninth-place Utah by two games and hold the tiebreaker, still could miss the playoffs for the first time since 2000 if they aren't careful in their final seven games.

Yet past all the one-game-at-a-time talk and focus on a "playoff mindset" (translation: try even harder), there was a very real sign that Dallas has no plans to head home early, courtesy of 2011 Finals MVP and resident Mavericks spokesman Dirk Nowitzki.

"You know, Holger's going to come pretty soon here," he said with a grin. "He's going to be on the way, on the boat over. We're going to get some work in, to get sharp."

The man of whom he spoke is Holger Geschwindner, a 66-year-old former physicist from Germany who discovered the young Nowitzki on a court in Wurzburg and has become the most influential coach in his storied career. For the past 10 years, Geschwindner's pre-playoff visit has been as much a staple of Nowitzki's routine as the Mavericks' winning at least 50 regular-season games.

Every year, the mentor and his student refine his innumerable skills one last time before the playoffs, fixing what might be broken in his shot and discussing the challenges ahead. The schedule, surprisingly, is in their favor. Because the Mavericks have a rare four-day stretch without games before their season finale at Atlanta on April 26, Nowitzki -- who has seen dips in his scoring and shooting percentages this season -- will have a chance to focus on his individual workouts. He's planning to spend a total of seven to 10 days working with Geschwindner. And by the time they're done, Nowitzki intends to be ready for a title defense.

Even with all the distractions (like the Lamar Odom saga) and defeats (15 in their last 28 games), the Mavericks say they still can win it all. They cite the misplaced skepticism of last season and how they overcame it, when many observers predicted that Portland would upset Dallas in the first round. The Mavericks' hope (or dream, depending on your level of cynicism) is that they can replicate that formula.

"At this point last year, there were coaches of other teams saying they wanted to play the Mavericks," Dallas owner Mark Cuban told SI.com. "We were going on our West Coast swing [late in the regular season], and we were getting blown out. You just never know. And this season is even crazier, because I don't think the regular season is really going to be a reflection on the postseason because there's no preparation time, no practice time, and that will change in the playoffs.

"We always feel that, right?" Cuban said of having a chance to win a championship. "I mean, no one gave us a shot last year. We were the underdogs in every series we played. You just don't know. That's why you play the games."

As Nowitzki noted, the conference is "wide open." Just 4½ games separate the third-place Lakers from the Rockets and Nuggets.

"OKC has been consistent all year," Nowitzki said of the Thunder, who lead San Antonio by a half-game for the top seed. "Of course they're young, and they've got fresh legs and are more experienced than last year. But I think other than that, everything is wide open.

"There are a lot of dangerous teams. I don't think a lot of teams in the top four want to see a team like Memphis as a five or six seed -- [a team] that's playing well, that's physical. The Lakers are going to be there. The Spurs are playing probably the best ball the last month or so. They're so deep now with Stephen Jackson off the bench -- another playmaker, another shooter. So there are a lot of good teams. That's why in the West it's fun, and we hopefully get in the playoffs and compete."

But the fact remains that the 2010-11 Mavericks had it all over the latest version, even before the playoffs began. They finished with a .695 winning percentage that humbles the current group's .559 pace. Last year's team was eighth in points per possession, well ahead of this season's No. 23 ranking. And while Cuban's offseason decision to preserve his salary-cap space for the future rather than re-sign the likes of Tyson Chandler, J.J. Barea and DeShawn Stevenson might eventually prove wise, it's clear this team has not recovered from those losses.

Zach Lowe: Mavs' decline goes beyond Odom's struggles

The owner's attempt to add depth by sending a protected first-round pick and a trade exception to the Lakers for Odom in December officially backfired this week, when the underperforming former Sixth Man Award winner was told to leave the team after he reportedly had a locker-room argument with Cuban on Saturday in Memphis. Odom has one season left on his contract worth $8.2 million, but only $2.4 million is guaranteed if he is waived by June 29. The Mavericks are expected to pursue trades for Odom this summer, and the Warriors are reportedly among the teams likely to be interested.

When asked whether it was important to resolve the Odom situation before making a playoff push, Cuban said, "There's nothing left to say about Lamar."

Nowitzki, however, had plenty to say.

"We could probably talk about [the situation] for an hour, but I'm not going to bash my ex-teammate," Nowitzki said. "He's a good dude. And when he was around, I liked being around him. It just didn't work out.

"But if you look at the deal before the season, as a franchise, we've got to make that deal to get the Sixth Man of the Year basically for a trade exception or whatever it is. I think it was definitely something we had to look at ... but it just didn't work out the way we all wanted it to."

If Nowitzki has his way, his workouts with Geschwindner will mark the beginning of yet another unexpected championship run.

"We've been talking about playoff mode now for two-and-a-half weeks, so it's a must," coach Rick Carlisle said. "The pressure that comes with that is a good thing. It's the kind of pressure that you like. It brings you to higher levels, and we embrace it. We embraced it last year in the playoffs, and it got us a ring."

[mavs777]

http://www.thetwomangame.com/2012/04...lating-pieces/

season, time enough for a seemingly infinite number of potential outcomes. While a playoff berth is anything but assured (gulp), it seems like Dallas will at least be present in the first round to begin a title defense in the postseason proper. A year ago, the Mavericks finished the regular season by winning four in a row, then systematically built themselves into a seamless juggernaut through a series of progressively more astounding playoff victories.

Although they don’t have the same components that completed last year’s title run, there still exists on this roster all the raw materials to build a similarly potent contraption. Over the last three and a half months, each of Rick Carlisle’s attempts to rebuild this machine have been derailed by injury, inattention, and periods of inexplicable individual futility. However, the nature of the project has changed with the departure of Lamar Odom.

Odom represented a large and potentially powerful piece of the puzzle, and until it was announced that he and the team were parting ways early last week, there was simply no question of his inclusion. Now that he’s out of the way, the slate is cleared and the job can be begun anew. No more accommodations or allowances need be made; Carlisle has 13 days to dabble and experiment, try new looks and new orientations, and decide what this team will look like when the playoffs finally, and hopefully, arrive.

Here are a few chemistry experiments Carlisle might be interested in trying.

TWIN TOWERS

Odom’s absence leaves a void in the Mavs’ front court, and judging from the two games since, Brandan Wright will be helping to fill that space. On Thursday night against the Warriors, Wright spent most of his playing time strictly as a center and backup to Brendan Haywood. He played admirably in this role crashing the glass, scored on found possessions, and did his best against the wily David Lee. However, on Tuesday night, we had the opportunity to see a few minutes of Wright on the court alongside Ian Mahinmi, which to me is a much more tantalizing possibility.

Mahinmi and Wright have alternated this season in playing backup center minutes, lifting fans with the athleticism and effort, before grounding them with their inexperience and lack of awareness. However a Wright/Mahinmi combo offers some the potential to be a devastating combo if deployed in the right situation.

The two have played just 37 minutes together for the entire season, but some very positive things have happened in those minutes. With both on the floor the Mavericks have posted a Defensive Rating of 77.2, holding their opponents to an effective field goal percentage of 35.7 percent. Stretched (and stretched they would be; 37 minutes isn’t much of a sample size) across an entire season, those numbers would be the best in the league by a wide margin. When Wright and Mahinmi are on the floor together, the Mavs have a total rebound percentage of 56.0 percent with an offensive rebound percentage of 37.5 percent –and accomplished all that defensive and rebounding dominance at a pace of 97.7 possessions per 48 minutes.

That said, having both players the floor together presents some serious problems. Offensive spacing would suffer dramatically, and polished post players like Andrew Bynum, Zach Randolph, and both Gasols would eat either Wright or Mahinmi alive. However, against an athletic up-tempo team like the Thunder, Spurs or Clippers, Wright and Mahinmi could help the Mavericks keep pace, disrupt pick-and-rolls, defend the rim against penetration, and control the glass. Games against the Warriors and Trail Blazers might be the time to try this combo out for an extended period of time and see what it might offer for spot duty in the playoffs.

THREE GUARDS

Small-ball lineups featuring multiple ball-handlers have been a staple of Carlisle’s cross-matching rotations the past few seasons. Vince Carter has played plenty of small forward this year, but what I’m really talking about here is some three-man combination of Delonte West, Jason Kidd, Rodrigue Beaubois and Jason Terry. The one that intrigues me the most would be the West-Beaubois-Terry grouping — that trio hasn’t played a single minute together this season, and while they present the most potential problems at the defensive end, they also present the most interesting combination at the offensive end.

If the playoffs started today, the Mavericks would be matched up in a series with the Los Angeles Lakers. Even with the addition of Ramon Sessions, the Lakers would have struggled against quick, athletic penetrators. West-Beaubois-Terry would allow the Mavericks to keep the floor spaced, attack from multiple angles, and put pressure on Gasol and Bynum to defend the rim. It could end up being a disaster, but almost every other combination of players has been tried by Carlisle this season. With seven games left, it might be worth giving this one a look to see if there’s anything there.

YINSANITY

I realize this suggestion may cause me to get laughed off the internet, but I think Odom’s departure may also make room for Yi Jianlian to make a meaningful contribution in the playoffs. Yi is best known for the disparity between his production against chairs and his production against NBA players, but he does have a few legitimate basketball skills; he’s a solid rebounder, can move the ball on offense, and most importantly: is a consistent shooter. Although he’s shooting just 38.0 percent on the season, Yi is averaging 1.03 points per possession on spot-up possessions. Looking again at that potential Lakers matchup, it would be nice to be able to keep Gasol away from the rim, and open space for the second unit when Dirk is on the bench. He’s certainly a liability defensively, but no more than Peja Stojakavic was last season, as he was busy shredding the Lakers from the perimeter.

[j0Shi]

My take on Vince as a full-time small forward off the bench: http://www.mavsmoneyball.com/2012/4/...-prove-to-be-a

Really fascinating things have happened when Carter has been paired up with the backup backcourt (Terrois or Terry/West): The Mavericks have outscored opponents by +12.30 (107.42 Off & 95.12 Def) in that case. The combination of Jason Terry/Rodrigue Beaubois and Carter has led to the team shooting 57.48 TS%, the most by any backup backcourt + small forward combination. Carter is a good complement player to Roddy (or vice versa, whatever you want). I said it here before, Roddy's drive and kicks (and don't forget Terry) will end up being an open shot with Carter spacing the floor, not necessarily with Marion, who still is reluctant to take these. Also the defense will honor Vinsanity more than the Matrix, creating more space for the guards to penetrate. That's not bashing Marion in general, he is just not a natural fit, but needed (irreplaceable) elsewhere.
Please note that the presence of Dirk has had no effect on these lineups. They've worked with him (+17.51), Marion (+20.19) and even Lamar Odom (+15.56). Brian Cardinal (-6.19), Yi (-23.06) and Wright (-11.37) even bring the numbers down a bit.

[j0Shi]

I stumbled upon an article by Arturo on wagesofwins.com today:

What I really want to know is how much better or worse than the team average is the player’s defense based on opponent production

He used positional averages to evaluate the players worth on defense and he admits that this still isn't quite perfect, because it groups multiple players together. So I went with counterpart stats:

PlayerName		oAdjPER	oAdjWS48	oAdjWP48	oDiffPER	oDiffWS48	oDiffWP48
Jason Kidd			12.11	0.117		0.196		-0.88		0.013		-0.027
Shawn Marion		16.00	0.087		0.172		0.58		-0.010		-0.016
Dirk Nowitzki		22.40	0.199		0.161		0.64		0.011		0.101
Rodrigue Beaubois	14.78	0.087		0.132		-1.14		-0.005		0.042
Delonte West		18.14	0.154		0.119		2.87		0.036		-0.028
Brendan Haywood	11.11	0.110		0.112		-2.38		-0.023		-0.060
Jason Terry			16.81	0.104		0.106		1.15		0.024		0.031
Vince Carter		16.19	0.154		0.099		3.23		0.060		0.022
Brandan Wright		16.68	0.120		0.074		-5.25		-0.085		-0.180
Ian Mahinmi		13.06	0.126		0.053		-0.89		-0.035		-0.078
Lamar Odom		8.04		-0.052		-0.073		-1.26		-0.048		-0.026

The oAdj values are the opponent adjusted metrics, oDiff specifies how much the player lost or gained on the metrics based on opposing production.

Pretty interesting stuff. Dirk, who is not valued by the WP48 metric very highly because he takes a ton of shots and rebounds pretty poorly, gets a nice bump in all metrics based on his defense. Meanwhile our centers take a huge hit, especially Wright.

Our top5 players according to the oAdjWP48-metric (which is considered the most accurate one) are Kidd, Marion, Dirk, Roddy and West.

[iella]

Delonte West puts family first

He has overcome financial troubles, two recent family deaths and personal injury to thrive in Dallas. He is entrenched as the starting shooting guard, averaging 9.7 points and 3.2 assists in 43 games, and will be relied upon in the postseason to produce as a rugged, two-way player with one good hand if the Mavs are to have a chance to advance.

Article explicitly contrasts him with Odom. Good read, provides some insight into his character.

[j0Shi]

Why Carter could be a better fit late in games than Marion: http://www.mavsmoneyball.com/2012/4/...closing-lineup

So while one would still consider Marion the better overall player, it's a legitimate question whether Carter is a better fit. Shawn is basically forced to stretch the floor at the small forward spot in the Mavs system, plant himself beyond the arc, wait for the kickout or crush the boards whenever a shot goes up. Whenever he receives the ball in the Mavericks flow offense, he is pretty much a ball stopper. His hesitance to take the open three messes with the ball movement while Carter takes these shots. Also the opposing defense doesn't honor Shawn's ability to constantly hit a jumper and therefore more space is created for the guards to penetrate with Carter on the floor.

[j0Shi]

http://thedissnba.com/2012/11/30/bli...get-more-burn/

I’d call Wright a power forward, ESPN has him as a center, but either way, with Dirk out Wright is the Mavericks best big man and needs to be playing a lot more. The funny thing is, Wright has been an average or above average player practically his entire career, including last year when he absolutely killed it…for the Dallas Mavericks! Between this and the Mavericks recent signing and apparent intention to start Derek Fisher, the shiny Mavericks analytics team has certainly lost some of their luster.



Now, at first glance, the above numbers would seem to suggest that Elton Brand has in fact been the Mavericks best big man. If these three were point guards that might be the case, but they’re not, they’re power forward/centers. Their main jobs are to score, rebound, and defend. Anything else is just gravy.

At scoring, Brandan Wright has been, and continues to be, elite. He only takes really good shots, makes a lot of them, and shoots his free throws well. In contrast, Elton Brand has been downright awful at shooting this year. Brand is the 335th best shooter in the entire league, and big men almost always have higher field goal percentages than guard! His shooting has been so bad that it absolutely destroys any other value that he may offer.

Brand is better than Wright at rebounding, while they are both much better than Kaman. Wright is actually a better defensive rebounder than Brand, while Brand cleans up on the offensive glass, which very well could be a result of how godawful terrible Brand has been shooting the ball.

On defense all three have been pretty close. Brand has a 103 D Rating (lower is better), Wright a 105, and Kaman a 106. By O Rating, however, Wright has a 123 (higher is better), Kaman a 102 and Brand an abysmal 97. The Mavericks overall D Rating is 106.5, and O Rating is 104.1. Wright has therefore slightly helped the D, while being a massive boon to the offense. Kaman has been a bit below average on both, and while Elton has played the best big man defense, his aforementioned terrible shooting makes him a complete offensive liability.

Although for some reason he gets all confused with the rebounding (in fact Wright is by far the worst rebounder of the three) I assume this is preaching to the choir for some.

Maybe the release of Murphy will pull him back into the rotation at least until Dirks return. After all he is still the only big men with a net+ in +/- and leads the team in PER. He got benched for the rebounding struggles but as far as I'm concerned he doesn't need to grab a single board as long as the team is winning.

[samoan-maverickII]

http://www.nba.com/mavericks/video/2...manmp4-2314989


I didn't know where else to put this. Pretty funny. I wanna hear more Kaman interviews.

[Lestat_1795]

Originally Posted by samoan-maverickII

http://www.nba.com/mavericks/video/2...manmp4-2314989


I didn't know where else to put this. Pretty funny. I wanna hear more Kaman interviews.

hilarious

[BGMaverick9]

http://on.nba.com/VngHzV

[dude1394]

Kaman just had an interview on bad radio. Funny stuff.

[BGMaverick9]

Weekly column for the two man game
http://www.thetwomangame.com/2012/12...n-volume-viii/

[DevinHarriswillstart]

Not that Dirk really needs another accolade, but he'll get the Naismith Legacy Award tonight at halftime versus the Kings.

DALLAS -- Jim Naismith, grandson of basketball inventor Dr. James Naismith, will be on hand for tonight's game with the Sacramento Kings to present the Naismith Legacy Award to Dirk Nowitzki.

The award is presented to players, coaches and other individuals or organizations from the game of basketball honoring their role in furthering the values of honor, respect and integrity -- both on an off the court.

"We want to recognize folks that have had significant contributions to the game of basketball," said Damon Fogal, CEO of the Naismith Legacy Foundation. "It's the first time we've given this award to an international player. Dirk has had a huge impact in the world of basketball across the globe."

Nowitzki will receive the award at halftime of tonight's game.

http://espn.go.com/blog/dallas/maver...h-legacy-award

[dude1394]

Thanks for the post. I'll have to stick around for halftime tonight.

[Kante]

The yearly Christmas song/video from the Mavs:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iE_cX0w9N8k

[j0Shi]

http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/...cal-revolution

Valanciunas, of course, has been the chief focus of Toronto's player development staff this season, and that has been another source of tension between the analytics team and the coaching staff. Valanciunas, like most rookies, misses rotations, overhelps, and commits other sins of positioning on defense. Coaches hate that stuff, and they've often nailed Valanciunas to the bench in crunch time in favor of Aaron Gray — a fundamentally sound player who lacks NBA athleticism.

The numbers in large part disagree with that tactic, at least as it relates to Valanciunas's defense. The Raptors' defense has been better with Valanciunas on the floor. More importantly, the visualization data shows that Valanciunas is active and athletic enough to make up for all his defensive mistakes, Rucker and his team say.

Think this might be interesting as we also prefer a "fundamentally sound/veteran-esque/zero tolerance for error"-approach and I feel RC also tends to handle players the "Valanciunas"-way. Ever since I thought mistakes on the court are less to not important if the player is a net plus and nice to see that SportVU / the Raptors visualization analysis adds valid data to that assumption.

That said, Dallas also uses the cameras and it's up for speculation whether they use comparable analysis and therefore Ricks coaching decisions are already affected by it.

[BGMaverick9]

http://www.thetwomangame.com/2013/03...tack-part-one/

[nowhereman]

Originally Posted by BGMaverick9

http://www.thetwomangame.com/2013/03...tack-part-one/

Nice. But just to be clear, which one of you is in bold?

[MavsFTR]

Interesting article about Mayo's improvement in efficiency.

http://m.espn.go.com/general/blogs/b...04&city=dallas

[BGMaverick9]

Originally Posted by nowhereman

Nice. But just to be clear, which one of you is in bold?

He's the lengthier replies.

[dude1394]

Originally Posted by MavsFTR

Interesting article about Mayo's improvement in efficiency.

http://m.espn.go.com/general/blogs/b...04&city=dallas

I agree with this. He's been shooting it, passing it or driving it. Quick decisions make for good basketball teams. Carlisle will start working a little harder on his consistent defensive intensity now. Good move by mayo to come play under rc, bill ups was right.

[BGMaverick9]

http://www.thetwomangame.com/2013/03...tack-part-two/

[Kante]

New video, not sure if already posted somewhere: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2D-BJrD-N0

[dude1394]

Originally Posted by Kante

New video, not sure if already posted somewhere: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2D-BJrD-N0

My lord WTH was that?!?

I thought Dalembert was going to get off looking completely nutty...but..... Wow.

[Kante]

Originally Posted by dude1394

My lord WTH was that?!?

I thought Dalembert was going to get off looking completely nutty...but..... Wow.

The eyes from Dirk are hilarious and so is Carter. Crowder/Harris together are "solid".

Feel sorry for Larkin, though.

[Underdog]

Originally Posted by Kante

New video, not sure if already posted somewhere: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2D-BJrD-N0

Don't quit your day job, fellas...

[DavidDaMonkey]

I haven't seen Ellis is any silly Mavs videos yet. It's still early, but I wonder if he avoids those things. Or maybe I just haven't noticed. I think he's in the Monster Mash one, but that only required a normal picture of his face.

I've always wondered if some participation is "mandatory" or if the players volunteer to do it.

[DirkFTW]

Originally Posted by Kante

New video, not sure if already posted somewhere: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2D-BJrD-N0

What do the Mavs fans say? They say WTH

[NorwegianMavsFan]

Wow, this song must be the biggest Norwegian export since oil & gas. Man it gets on your nerves. The duo (Ylvis) is actually rather funny.

They have a pretty good song about the Stonehenge (explicit)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbyzgeee2mg

And this elevator prank is pretty funny:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0NXFUSYZxc

[j0Shi]

Though I'd share a season preview in which somebody actually predicted us to be better than last year.

http://www.boxscoregeeks.com/article...the-dark-horse

[Kante]

Larkin hopes to be back in around 2 weeks: http://www.mavs.com/mavs-rookie-shan...ankle-surgery/

[Underdog]

Originally Posted by Kante

Larkin hopes to be back in around 2 weeks: http://www.mavs.com/mavs-rookie-shan...ankle-surgery/

Excellent. I'd like to see the kid get a chance to battle Mekel for the backup PG spot before Devin gets back... Otherwise, I don't see Larkin getting much burn this season unless there's another injury.

[EricaLubarsky]

Ill be glad to have Larkin back, but this team already has plenty of depth. I don't think we'll see much of him unless we have a blowout or an injury.

[grndmstr_c]

Originally Posted by EricaLubarsky

Ill be glad to have Larkin back, but this team already has plenty of depth. I don't think we'll see much of him unless we have a blowout or an injury.

I'll be surprised if he doesn't get a turn at the backup PG minutes. Even with Gal's head start and his quality outing against the Rockets, the bar for the backup point guard minutes really isn't all that high right now.

[dude1394]

I expect he will beat out gal pretty quickly IMO. It is important for basketball players to be able to shoot.

[oilfieldtrash]

Yeah I rarely see guys out at the local park with as bad a shot as Mekel. I don't know what Harris has left in the tank but it's really his job unless Larkin can really impress Carlisle.

[tsar]

Originally Posted by j0Shi

Though I'd share a season preview in which somebody actually predicted us to be better than last year.

http://www.boxscoregeeks.com/article...the-dark-horse

That website is awesome! They really put thought into their articles and don't regurgitate what other media outlets are putting out. Impressive, most impressive.

[FreshJive]

Originally Posted by Kante

New video, not sure if already posted somewhere: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2D-BJrD-N0

I still watch this, and it is funny every time.

[Kante]

Ledo now in the D-League!

[Kante]

Breakdown from Coach Nick:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7AXOzyvm44